Winter Storage Tips?

Jonathan McCormack realised it was Thu,

Damp is bad, but drafty is OK, since good ventilation will keep damp through condensation at bay. The draftier the better, I'd say, it's condensation you need to worry about.

Heating is only good if you can keep the car at a constant temperature. If the garage is drafty, there's little chance of keeping the temp constant without incurring a huge electricity bill.

I've seen such a system for sale: you put your car in a sealed bag, together with some metal cylinders filled with Silica Gel. The cylinders last for six months, after which they can be regenerated in a kitchen oven. Alas, I can't find the website.

This website may be of interest to you:

The manager at the garage I use for MOTs had this\setup for his Harley --- he has moved on so I can't ask him for info.

When laying a car up it is a good idea to put fresh brake fluid by syphoning the resevoir and topping up with fresh fluid-- even if it isn't bled through the system it will reduce the chances of brake problems when the car is brought out of storage. Also the engine oil oil brakes clutch and exhaust should be prpoperly warmed through on the cars last run before lay-up, also the hand brake should be left off and the wheels chocked. Of course it goes without saying not to wash the car and put it straight into storage.

I used to someone who used a washing up bowl of rock salt to keep his caravan dry, though in a draughty garage I imagine it would need cooking every day or so.

Yippee realised it was Thu, 04 Nov 2004

The December issue of Practical Classics arrived today and it has a test of 'car storage systems', among which is the one I meant above. All h*mo modernus needs is a key word and Google to find things, so more information at

None of these systems come cheap, though... :-(

Have a read of this:

Try this:

Sorry about that. I got an error message, so clicked again. Now I'm just making it worse.

Erm, add something useful, Martyn... er, DON'T STORE IT! Drive it all winter. Regular use is good for a classic car and it's good for you. It won't deteriorate anything like as much as you fear. It is definitely better than damp storage and if it does start looking worse for wear, just restore it again.

I am not totally convinced about this. I run two Triumphs. One has never been driven on a salted road for over 20 years. The other is used all year in all weathers. The first one has never needed any welding underneath. The second needs repairs for salt-fed tinworm every other year. Not major repairs if I keep an eye on it, but enough to convince me that the decision to lay up the other car for the winter is right.

Agree. Warm is not necessary. Ventilated is.

Jim

"Martyn Moore" realised it was Sat, 13 Nov 2004

Try not posting upside down. Nobody reads from the bottom up. Not even the chinese.